


The Champion and the Seeker

by BowAndDagger



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Clan, Drabble, F/M, Family, Getting Together, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Saving the World, Slice of Life, Twins, fair warning: Lavellan is going to swoon, non-Inquisitor Female Lavellan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-14 17:05:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19277668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BowAndDagger/pseuds/BowAndDagger
Summary: Ædren of Clan Lavellan, supposed Herald of Andraste, Lord Inquisitor, Champion of the people, Savior of Thedas and Inquisitor First-Thaw. His titles will be remembered for many ages.He'd prefer if he'd just be remembered as Ædren, son of Ædrik, brother of Ædwige, lover of Cassandra Pentaghast; a Dalish elf and a friend.His divine bad luck - as Varric says - won't let him.





	1. Contacting Family

**Author's Note:**

> DAI has taken over my life. Send help!

 

Ædren’s head aches something fierce. He squints in the bright light, blinded by the snow and the whiteness of everything. He misses the forests and the greenery of his childhood. And the warmth. Haven’s cold climate does not agree with him. It was hard enough to acclimate to the armour they favour here, without taking into consideration that cold and metal do not make an elf warm. He sighs. He envies Solas and Varric’s tunics and armours. Sure, they offer less protection but they are warmer and less cumbersome. He clinks and clanks each time he take a steps.

The warrior casts a last longing look towards the War Room – where a fire burns merrily – before going outside. They’ve just gone back from the Hinterlands where they met with Mother Giselle. Now, they’re to go to Val Royeaux but before that Ædren needs to send a letter.

He has carefully read Leliana’s report after she contacted his Clan on his behalf and decrypted his Keeper’s missive. She was careful not to let on how much she’s worried – so much attention on an elf usually spells trouble for the People – or how badly someone in particular must be taking the situation but he can read between the lines. He knows his family well enough to realise what goes on behind appearances.

He approaches Leliana, wary, his mind now on the conversation he had with her just before he left for the Hinterlands. He had managed to convince her not to kill Butler. He doesn’t regret it one bit – saving a life, even the one of a traitor, is always worthwhile. Is he really a traitor or was he framed? Is the one who reported him on bad terms with Butler and they cast aspersions on him in order to get rid of him? Especially since they do not know why he betrayed their cause: was he blackmailed? Led astray? More importantly, what kind of information did he give? Killing him without some kind of investigation beyond _he-is-the-spy-so-let’s-kill-him_ seems such a waste. As well as rather short-sighted coming from a hardened Spymaster with plenty of experience.

However, after cooling down, Ædren realised he should have not protested so much and so loudly in front of one of her subordinates. He certainly should not have done so while he was new to everything and barely aware of the going-on behind the scenes. He hopes he didn’t damage her standing among her people; undermining her authority had not been his attention. He should apologize, really. But what did shem do to apologise? Offer gifts? Hunted preys? Flowers? The heads on a platter of their enemies still bloody and fresh? Frankly, there is so many rumours among the Clan that he doesn’t really know what to do and how to act without accidentally insult someone. He’ll have to ask the Ambassador for lessons on human’s ways.

He’s brought back to reality when the Spymaster looks at him from the corner of her eyes as she finish scribbling something.

“Herald.”

Her voice is perfectly neutral. Yet, it is enough to make him wince. Not happy with him, then. But needs must. And he knows the Advisors enough now to trust them with the welfare of his Clan; they’ve proven themselves willing to listen to his input concerning his family – the Commander’s plan still makes him shudder in dread at what could have happened if the Lavellans had seen fully armed troops advancing on them.

“Leliana. I…need to send a letter. Would it be possible to use one of your ravens?”

A perfectly manicured eyebrow lifts as her gaze falls to the rolled up paper he’s clutching. He frowns.

“If you want to know more we’ll have to talk somewhere else. In private.”

She’s silent as she leads him to the cells under the Chantry. A shudder crawls up his spine. That’s where he first woke up and the memory sits, unpleasant, in his mind. They are deserted now and the silence is pressing on him.

He gives her the letter, trying not to fidget too much.

“You can read it. If you want.”

She opens the missive with a practiced flip of fingers.

“This is written in elvish.”

“You can read it,” he dismisses with a shrug. “I saw how you reacted to Josephine speaking. She has a good accent but she butchered one the syllables and you couldn't entirely hide your flinch.”

Ædren refuses to back off when Leliana pins him with a glare.

“You were a companion of the Hero of Ferelden, weren’t you? He is Dalish. Was he the one to teach you?”

The warrior feels like he passed some unknown test when she smiles.

“He did, yes. It has been useful to pass messages back and forth during those years.”

She reads quickly in silence, eyes roaming up and down the page.

“A sibling?” she asks.

“Twin. My sister. She was supposed to come with me to the Conclave but she broke an arm and a leg during a hunt.”

“You must be glad.”

“I am now. She’s safe and sound, surrounded by our Clan. But I wasn’t then.”

At her questioning glance, he explains.

“I was walking in what was pretty much hostile territory on my own, during a bloody civil war. I wouldn’t have say no to some back-up or at least company I’d be sure wouldn’t stab me in the back for profit and giggles.”

She acquiesces as she rolls the parchment. She taps it into her hand a few times before turning a sly glance at him. He tenses up. He recognises that mischievous gleam in her eyes: Ædwige always looks at him like that when she wants to tease him.

“So…you’re the oldest or the youngest?”

His groan is answer enough. Ædren leaves the Chantry in a hurry, her laugh chasing him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Ædren and Ædwige who is only mentioned...and what could have happened.
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Edit 24/06/19: I realised I wrote Butcher instead of Butler. I corrected it. Sorry!


	2. Realisation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The swooning begins....slowly

 

Solas is…a mystery. A mystery wrapped into a pretty package with a magical bow on top. Knowledgeable, as proud as his name yet wise albeit a bit anti-social. And one of the only familiar faces in Haven what with him being one of the only elf present.

Ædren can admit he is interested. Not only is the older elf easy on the eyes, his mind is as sharp as his words sometimes are. He knows things, too. Events and details long lost and the warrior is fascinated. It challenges everything he was taught and he loves it. He knows enough about History, and the recording of it, to know how it can be modified and rewritten to fit the writer’s view. The Humans aren’t the only ones to say that the victors write History.

He wonders what Solas will tell if he asks about the Emerald Knights or the Arcane Warriors. Ædren will have to write down everything about the latter for his sister. Ædwige had been so dejected when she didn’t manifest magic – to the surprise of the whole Clan. The Lavellans rarely give birth to twins. When they do one of the twins – if not both – is always a mage. Neither Ædren nor Ædwige had the ability. Something the Elders attributed to their father who had been originally from Clan Ghilain; a Clan which had never had that history of magical twins.

They grew up being told they’d be mages only for it not to happen. In retrospect, it was a good thing. Their Clan already had a First and having the two of them come to their abilities…One would have been sent to another Clan or left to fend for their own…

Ædren had not cared one way or another. He knows most Humans and those of the Chantry would see it as a blessing but Magic is different for the Dalish: it is a gift – albeit a dangerous one sometimes – but a gift nonetheless. Ædwige, on the other hand, had been set on the Arcane Warrior path and had been inconsolable once no magical abilities manifested themselves. She settled on Alchemy instead; a poor substitute. Her fascination however, remained as strong as ever. Maybe learning about the true way of the Arcane Warriors from someone who had witnessed it in the Fade – and not the bastardised version of the shems – would help settle old hurts. And listening to Solas’ voice while he tells the tale would just be a very pleasant bonus.

All thoughts of listening to Solas’s voice die a swift death when he spies Cassandra cleaving in half a training dummy. He stumbles down the stairs as he watches her straightens and grunts in disgust at the poor quality of the training implement. Beads of sweet pearl on her brow. The sun is endowing her with light. In that moment, she looks like a fierce goddess of war. Ædren is so distracted by the vision that he almost walks into a group of soldiers sparring. They smile and wave away his excuses. He only half-listens to them, attention back on the Seeker who is already hacking at another unfortunate dummy. She could easily bench-press him, he realises with a start.

 _Oh_.

Oh, _no_.

Ædwige is going to laugh at him. Trust him to develop a crush on the shem who threatened to kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always been a bit sad that you can't flirt with Solas as a male elf, or even as another species. Just flirting, no romancing, like you can do with some of the others... Anyway, I'll just say that Ædren and Ædwige are twins and some of their inclinations so to speak are the same^^.  
> Also, in my playthrough Ædren hesitated between two people...Guess who's the other one?


End file.
